A thermal column is a column of rising air in lower altitudes of the atmosphere. Thermal columns are created by uneven heating patterns of the Earth's surface from solar radiation. The sun warms the ground, and the air directly above the ground begins to warm. As the warm air expands, it becomes less dense than the air around it and rises. As the warmer air rises, it cools due to its expansion in lower high-altitude pressures. When it cools to the same temperature as the surrounding air, it...